Barstool Therapy
by Kane Shi Megami
Summary: AU: Minding her own business was never Sakura's forte. But after listening to her two best friend's blindly, she wishes she never tried to help the man at the bar named Gaara.


**Barstool Therapy**

**SasuxNaru, little bit of GaaxSaku thrown in there**

**( ) Signify Inner Sakura thoughts**

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Naruto, they belong to someone else.

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She let her feet carry her down the familiar path to the bar. It was a tradition now, every Monday after work the three members of 'Team Seven' would go out for a drink and complain about how lazy their boss Kakashi was. It hadn't been but a few moments ago when she'd been thrown a curve ball, in the form of an email from Tsunade that Kakashi had retired.

Retirement.

That lazy bastard wasn't even forty yet and he'd already retired to live off the money he'd saved up from working for the last 15 years. It probably would be enough considering how large his paycheck was and that the only thing he ever bought was porn and food.

But, as if that alone wasn't enough to make her scream in frustration she'd found out that her the other two members of 'so called team' already knew. They'd known since last week. Being part of a team meant filling in the others of little bits of important information, this was one of them, and they hadn't done their job.

So therefore, on her way to the bar she plotted many schemes on how she would get back Naruto and Sasuke for their 'forgetful' natures.

The cold November air on her skin chilled her, but her inner fury kept her warm as she slid open the door to the sake bar. It was always fairly dark in there, perhaps to help conceal those who couldn't hold their liquor. She spotted Sasuke easy enough, he was already sitting at their table with the suit jacket off and the first two buttons of the crisp white shirt undone.

Despite the fact that he was currently 'unavailable' it was still a nice sight, her anger momentarily subsided. She slid into the booth across from him looking around for his blonde counterpart and spotted him talking to a stranger at the bar animatedly. The stranger only stared down into his sake glass as Naruto continued to chat his ear off.

Naruto must have felt her emerald gaze because he turned to her immediately and smiled. Patting the maroon haired stranger on the back, who was in black business attire, he made his way back to the booth, nudging Sasuke as he did so.

There had been a time when she would have just brushed off that little brief contact they'd just shared, but to the trained eye she knew that they were flirting. Sasuke was a big advocate of absolutely no public display of affection, which Naruto had been the complete opposite of, so the blonde adapted and was able to get away when a touch here and there.

Up until two years ago that would have depressed her immensely that they were so good together, but she'd learned that their happiness together totally outweighed her brief misery. After all no one got Saskue to smirk, which was the equivalent of a smile in Uchiha terms, quite like Naruto.

"So which one of you assholes is going to tell me why Kakashi's retirement was not worth telling."

Sasuke's flinch didn't go unnoticed but the blonde quickly jumped in, "Sakura-chan you know how Kakashi is, hell we didn't know till a few days ago!"

"Tsunade told me that Kakashi had sent you two memos a week ago."

"Yeah but you know that in Kakashi terms that means within a week time frame."

"So you didn't know?" she asked dubiously.

Sasuke put down his sake dish, "I received my letter on Thursday, so I informed Naruto."

They both turned to the person in question. "Heh heh, you see Sakura-chan, Tsunade baba had me running all kinds of errands for her on Thursday so I didn't even remember till Friday morning."

"I'm waiting for your answer Naruto," she threatened "and if it's not a good one, Sasuke is going to have to carry you out of here."

He rubbed the back of his head nervously, another tell tell sign that he was keeping something. "Well then on Friday Sasuke and I were working on that Nara project and it took us the whole day."

You were most likely doing other things than working on the Nara file she thought wryly but couldn't bring herself to say it; especially when Sasuke was looking at her almost pleadingly. Damnit her obvious weakness for the obsidian eyes was still fresh, only now the cerulean eyes of Naruto had the same magnetism.

"And then we went to the hot spring after work-

She held her hand up physically protecting her from the vivid images he was painting, "Just tell me the truth, why didn't you want to tell me."

He took a deep breath in, "We just didn't want you to get all sad on us Sakura-chan, we know how much you'll miss him…….and well……Kakashi told us he'd wanted to tell you himself but………that idiot probably forgot to get around to it."

"Hm."

Well, the thought was nice, and it was true that Kakashi had probably forgotten……so it wasn't really fair to take it out on her two best friends and ruin their night. She'd just have to forget to tell them something important later. "Well I wonder what old lazy ass they're going to get to replace him."

Naruto flashed his grin and Sasuke sipped more on his sake, "Shouldn't be too hard," he said from his dish.

"Yeah just find a pervert who reads dirty novels and is the embodiment of sloth," Naruto said dryly shrugging out of his business jacket.

"So who's the guy you were talking to at the counter?" She couldn't help but to ask, Naruto had many friends in Konoha Inc, and she knew all of them, but this one she'd never seen before. (And he's hot too!) Inner Sakura cheered.

Naruto looked over to where he was still sitting staring into his white dish. "Oh him? He's an old buddy of mine from college."

"College? I don't remember him." She and Naruto had attended the same university in Konoha, while Sasuke had opted to go to && saying it had better programs. Four years later all three had graduated and they were all three hired on as Team Seven (hired in the seventh business year) at Konoha Inc. All three equals, only she and Naurto didn't have the massive student loans he did.

"Eh….he was in an …….. art/ pottery class of mine."

"You took pottery?" Sasuke asked eyebrows quirked.

"Hey what's wrong with that! I'm talented….and I'm great with my hands!"

The crickets chirping showed that entire bar had grown silent. Naruto huffed before taking a drink out the sake bottle without bothering for a dish. The bar resumed the quiet discussions.

"So when you say 'buddy'," she quoted with her fingers, "do you mean 'buddy' or buddy?"

"Eh? What do you mean?" he asked genuinely puzzled, "We were really good friends."

Sakura dropped her head on the table. "Why do all of the cute ones have to be gay?"

"Oh, wait Gaara's not-

She looked up just in time to see Sasuke jab Naruto in the gut, "What he means to say is that he's not a past partner of his."

Partner. Sakura laughed at the word, Sasuke flat out refused to be called boyfriend, lover or any of the loving names shared by most. He always used 'partner'. Which really wasn't telling you much; it could have been partner in crime, partner in a sport, partner in a firm. It clearly didn't say partner whom I have crazy hard sex with.

During her musings she didn't see how her two friends spoke with their eyes until finally the blonde smiled. "Yeah, Gaara and I weren't involved; he told me I wasn't his type," he added.

The glare from Sasuke made her wonder why in the hell he had such a crossed look….. Could he be jealous that Naruto had tried to be with the hot guy across the bar? (Ha ha ha ha take that bastard!) Inner Sakura roared.

All three looked back to the man in question who had a pretty blonde changing out his sake bottle clearly trying to get the man's attention by showing major cleavage. It went unnoticed and he still only looked down in his dish.

"What's wrong with your friend?" She asked half worried. It shouldn't have really been that off setting, hell he was gay of course he wasn't going to oogle the waitress, but he looked entirely too depressed. Maybe it had something to do with the dark circles around his eyes.

Behind her the two men looked at each other, the raven haired man shrugged a shoulder.

"Oh he…..uh…he's going through a break up."

She snapped her head back towards the two. "Really? Oh poor guy, he must have really loved him if he's so down."

"Yeah, he's really torn up about it, I tried talking to him but he wasn't really receptive," Naruto added sullenly.

"Well duh! Of course not, you're totally involved right now. Nobody _single_ wants to hear from a committed person all that sympathy bullshit." She glanced back over, "Hell he probably feels even more alone now."

With her attention focused on Gaara, she missed the second jab to Naruto's ribs.

"Yeah you're probably right, but I feel so bad, I wish there was someone who could talk to him."

Turning back to her table she picked up her own dish and poured some sake into it. "Yeah," she agreed.

After downing her first shot she looked up to two pairs of very focused eyes on her. The cerulean was looking at her then towards Gaara repetitively while moving his eyebrows suggestively.

"What?"

"Why don't you go talk to him," Naruto said like it was the most logical answer in the world.

How much had he had to drink before she got here? "Are you insane, he'll see me coming and think that I'm hitting on him or something!" she hissed lowering her head to keep the conversation secret.

"Nah, he'll know."

"And just _how_ will he know?"

Sasuke interrupted whatever the other was going to say, "He'll know. We can tell these things. There's a difference in the way a woman approaches a man that is no longer attainable and a man she's trying to seduce."

If that was true then Sasuke had seen through her a long time ago, no wonder he was so closed up then, she thought wryly. She looked back towards the man, then back towards her friends.

"You sure it won't make me look like some busy body?"

"No way Sakura-chan you just have a big heart and want to help those who are miserable! You're not a busy body!"

His words lacked truth but the sake she'd taken early was giving her confidence. It was true. She did hate to see people upset, especially when it was because of matters of the heart. Hell, she'd been there, done that and lived through it everyday.

"So what happened exactly?" she asked.

"His boyfriend left him for a woman." Naruto's quick reply didn't buffer the sting of his words.

Ouch.

Okay she could definitely help him, or at least try to. "Are you sure he won't bite my head off or nothing?"

"Nah! Gaara's not aggressive."

She could have sworn she hurt Sasuke snort but she blamed it on the jealousy of Naruto's old friend.

"Alright then, I'll be right back watch my coat and if you two leave without telling me I'll ring your necks okay?" The blonde nodded eagerly and Sasuke gave only one. She boldly stood up and started off towards the broken hearted man.

IIIIIIIIIIII Meanwhile

"Oi, what's that deal with men being able to tell about women who are hitting on them and when they're not?"

"I made it up."

"Oh."

"…….."

"So what class did you really take?"

Naruto finished rolling up his slightly rumpled shirt, "Romanticism in the Victorian Period."

"………."

"She's going to kill us you know," Naruto pointed out.

"Ah."

"How long do you think he'll sit there?"

"Five minutes tops."

"Is that a bet?"

"Sure," the Uchiha said smirking, "If I win you have to do what we discussed yesterday."

Naruto's jaw slackened slightly before turning into a devilish grin, "But if I win you have to let us have Ramen for diner for a whole week!"

"Deal."

IIIIIIIIIII

As Sakura walked to the man her own heart break resurfaced in her mind's eye. It had completely blind sighted her; it was during month end, the most stressful time of the month, and she heard Naruto and Sasuke shouting at each other in the File Room. Naturally she just brushed it off, because it was a very common occurrence, and went in anyway to break them up. Unfortunately their shouting had turned into pushing and shoving, and then right before her very eyes they-

She shuddered and took a seat next to the man she was determined to help. Pushing all thoughts of Sasuke and Naruto kissing from her mind (Damn that's hot!) she crossed her legs trying to get comfortable. They would usually avoid the barstools when they came here, it wasn't very comfortable and the audience it would bring when they got into heavy discussion wasn't too great for business…..or their privacy.

Genma, a familiar bartender who was always friendly, sometimes a bit too friendly, came up to the bar. "Hey Sakura, long time no see, want the usual?"

"Yes, please Genma."

"Now those words bring all kinds of wonderful images-

"Genma. Get me some sake," she said fist clenched on the bar.

"Beautiful there's no need to get upset," he soothed, "Here," he put the bottle on the bar along with a clean dish, "the first one's on me okay?"

She smiled minutely and poured herself a glass, "Oh and Genma get this man a refill also."

Genma who'd already started walking towards another lady at the other end of the bar froze, "You want me to get him one too?"

"Yes."

"But he's had-

"Oh don't worry about it Genma, you just be a sweetheart and get him a refill and put it on my tab. If he gets too wasted you know that I could handle him getting home," she winked feeling disgusting for having to resort to dirty tricks, but she needed to get this man talking and most people talked when they drank.

"Okay sure Sakura," he winked back before going to get something from the back.

She poured herself a glass and sideways eyed the man next to her a bit more carefully. His hunched back did little to hide the lean and tone figure that filled out the business attire nicely. She glanced down momentarily to see if the shoes he wore were half as expensive as the suit and her eyes bulged. Were those……combat boots underneath? Didn't all gay men have a great taste in clothes? Sasuke was a prime example always managing to look like he'd stepped out of a magazine; but then again there was Naruto……..and if Sasuke didn't help him get dressed (or undressed!) he would probably still wear orange.

Genma placed the bottle down on the counter and flashed another smile, "Let me know if you need something else babe," he said before walking away to an attractive red head a few stools down. She glanced at the sake bottle he'd brought and her mouth ran dry, it was the strongest and most expensive sake in the bar. Shit.

She might have to pay that tab off pretty soon.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" She asked turning to him, sitting on her barstool sideways, knees almost touching his leg. Where all the barstools this close together?

"You're already there aren't you?" His remark was rather rude considering she would end up spending half of her next paycheck just to pay for his damn drink. (Damn his voice is sexy!) Inner Sakura yelled, more focused on the man and less on his words.

Okay…..so he was still mourning the loss of his loved one by isolation….and was using slightly alienating words. That was understandable, she'd been quite hostile, and damn near homicidal. "Do you come here much?" Before she could correct her cheesy comment and/or abort this completely, his small "no" was heard over the bar talk.

Well, maybe he wasn't completely alienating conversation. They fell into a comfortable silence as they continued to drink and Genma occasionally popping in to ask if they needed anything. Silence was never a strong point of Sakura's personality. There was a voice in her head that usually was on constant 'talk/rant' mode so when the voice fell quiet, and she wasn't talking either, it was slightly driving her mad. Things would never go anywhere if she waited for him to speak; he was probably just as stubborn as Sasuke, so she decided to dive in.

"Look, I hope you don't mind but Naruto told me what happened," she started "and I just want you to know that I know how you feel."

He turned towards her shoulders slightly more straightened and 'inner Sakura' fainted.

He was gorgeous.

(He's HOT!) Okay so maybe she was back, but the perverted suggestions she was making was not something she wanted to listen to right now. The maroon locks were slightly disheveled; his turquoise eyes rimmed with black gave him that dangerous look she remembered Sasuke having long ago and she something else caught her eye, she swallowed hard. Where those…..piercings?

This time she knew her inner self had hit the floor. She'd never told Naruto or Sasuke that her secret fetish was piercings. Probably because neither of them had any and Naruto would probably try to hook her up with the first man with holes he saw. She counted the three back studs going up his ear and she gripped the bar in order to restrain herself from licking the shell of his ear.

Oh my god. That had not just crossed her mind. He's gay! She mentally reprimanded herself, wondering how in the hell her inner self had corrupted her to be such a pervert. 'He's gay' became the new mantra in her head as she fought the blush that was threatening to show.

She could always blame the alcohol.

"He did?" He asked his dark soothing voice did little to help her racing heart.

"Yeah, he did."

"And you _understand_?" He stressed the last word as his gaze continued to stare deeper into her. But her resolve was stronger than that.

"Yes. You see I went through something like that a few years back and I know it's really difficult for you right now."

"……"

His silence drove her to pour herself another glass and she took it in shot form. Wasn't alcohol supposed to give people courage? So why was it that hers was slightly crumbling under the attention of the man named Gaara?

"Tell me why you think you can sympathize with what I'm dealing with."

The courage was back, that was as good as any invitation and she felt that she could strike a pose that would rival that of Rock Lee, their Human Resources Manager. "Well you see, I pretty much had my life planned out since I was five."

"Five."

Was he going to echo back her words or was he really listening? "Yeah, you see I met Sasuke and Naruto in grade school and I knew from then on that we were going to be together always. Only naturally things changed and when I got older I decided I was going to marry Sasuke and that Naruto would probably end up living with us because we couldn't trust him to eat properly."

"Ramen," he added.

"Exactly. Sasuke however wasn't really enthusiastic about my idea, (He totally rejected my advances!) so I just decided he wasn't attracted to me and settled for being his friend."

She picked up her bottle and found it empty; she looked around for Gemna and saw him heading to the back room, red head in tow. Damn. She heard liquid being poured and saw that Gaara had graciously refilled her dish with his sake.

"Thanks."

"Was it really that easy for you to move on?"

His question had caught her off guard, she'd just thought he would brush off her story not ask her to relive the memory of the tantrum she'd thrown in her room the night she gave up on Sasuke.

She chuckled slightly, "No, it wasn't. It was really quite that simple, but I could always try to fool myself." Try being the operative word. "But then when I found out the truth, that he wasn't even into women, and that he loved our other best friend, I was just crushed."

Courage was fading again so she sipped on the sake in her dish. It tasted what she thought acid would taste like. It did a number on her throat as the warm liquid slid down her throat and she sipped it again with more moderation.

"But I got over it after a while. These things just take time and now that things are out in the open I think we're all better friends," she finished quietly putting her right hand over his. His eyes had something written in them she couldn't quite place. A look she'd seen before on someone else.

"And this applies to my problem how?"

"Well, because your boyfriend left you for someone of the opposite sex and I thought that if I told you that there was still-

The color drained from her face and she put the dish back on the bar with a shaky hand. The boots, the hair, the look….was amusement, not haha funny amused but 'you just made a total ass out of yourself' amused, things were clicking into place quicker than she wanted and she urge to puke was great.

"You're not-

"No."

"So I just told you all that for-

"Nothing."

She whimpered inside. "How much have you drank?" she pulled her hand off of his quickly, "What I mean is, what are the chances that you'll remember this conversation?"

"I have a very high tolerance for sake."

"Shit. Well, you _knew _about Naruto right?"

Could the hole she was digging go any deeper? No one at the office currently knew about the relationship, so whether he told his old friends was unknown to her.

"Yes."

Well, at least she wouldn't have to suffer the wrath of Sasuke. His next words stopped all train of thought, "I knew about the Uchiha as well."

"The Uchiha," she said.

"Yes, I ran into them a few months ago."

Few months? "Did _they know_-

"That I was straight? Yes."

They knew. They knew he was straight and they knew they were sending her over here to make a fool out of herself to a complete stranger. The price they would pay would be very high indeed. Flames busted from behind inner Sakura she went into rant mode.

Sakura stealthily turned to her table to find Sasuke still drinking, while glancing at his watch, and Naruto talking a tad bit close. Sasuke being the most alert of the two quickly turned to where he felt the murderous intent. He punched Naruto on the chest lightly and used his chin to point towards where she was. The color drained from the blonde's face as she mouthed the word "run".

He quickly grabbed his jacket and tore out of the bar without so much as a glance to Sasuke who had by now shrugged back into his jacket and laid a few bills on the table to cover the drinks. She didn't miss how he too walked quickly out of the bar, smart man.

She didn't even bother turning back to look at the man behind her as she stepped down from her stool pulling the black mid-calf skirt down. He had known about Sasuke and Naruto so no harm there. So what if he'd just listened to her and her sob story about how she loved a gay man for over fifteen years?

She was two steps away when a hand reached out and grasped her wrist stopping her. She turned back and looked at Gaara who still had 'amused' written all over his face. Had it not been at her expense she would have said it looked good on him, but the mortification she felt squished that thought.

"Don't I even get your last name?"

Why in the hell would she give him her last name? Gemna had said her first name, wouldn't that be enough? Or was he secretly a magazine writer and wanted to tell the world about the crazy girl he picked up at a bar who thought he was gay. Gay, the man practically oozed masculinity but she'd been too naïve and believed Naruto and Sasuke's word.

"Haruno."

What the hell, why not, the chances of him being a reporter were slim to none. He looked more like a blood thirsty, cut throat lawyer, with no sense when it came to shoes. She'd probably never see him again; all she had to do was walk out of the bar.

"Team Seven," he said a smirk found its way to his face, and again she thought it looked good on him but now was not the time for such thoughts.

"Yeah, did Naruto tell you?"

"No he didn't." He stood up and she ended up having to look up just to meet his eyes. "So he didn't tell you I was straight and now he doesn't even tell you that I'm Kakashi's replacement."

There couldn't have been a deep enough hole for her to hide in. Her knees felt like mush and the heels she wore were making her sway. He was her new boss.

She had not only humiliated herself to a stranger, but to her new boss that she would have to see everyday until she retired probably. (They're DEAD!).

She pulled her wrist gently from his hand and he let go easily. "I'm sorry but if you'll excuse me I have to go take care of something."

Walking away as quickly as she could manage, with as much dignity she had left, she stopped mid step when she heard him again. "I'll see you at work tomorrow Haruno."

Damn.

She nodded not even bothering to turn around and see the smirking man behind her and grabbed her coat from the booth and calmly walked out the front of the bar.

Sasuke and Naruto would feel the wrath of Sakura Haruno.

That was a promise.

She didn't see the man at the bar smiling.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Woo hoo another one shot : ) I know I'm driving people made with my one shots but I just couldn't help but do this one, and another AU too!


End file.
